-Caveat Lector- "The bogey man of 'anti-Americanism'" Printed on Monday, January 20, 2003 @ 00:37:50 EST http://yt.org/article.php?sid=1005
By Matthew Riemer YellowTimes.org Columnist (United States) (YellowTimes.org) � The term "anti-Americanism," like its cousin "anti- Semitism," has become the new mantra of an apologetic intelligentsia class: It's used ritually to describe anyone or anything that does not obediently fawn at the feet of American exceptionalism. The most convenient and negative result of the term's preponderance is its intentional blurring of the lines between ethnic and political criticism. For example, to criticize American foreign policy is to be "anti- American." And in the case of Americans themselves, to be "self- loathing" as well. But what does the teRm "American" really mean when used in this manner? Everything remotely "American"? When people gather in distant countries to demonstrate for peace or in support of their own nation's sovereignty, which is incidentally being challenged by a hegemonic United States, it is "anti-Americanism" at work -- not people assembling of their own free will to address specific grievances. One can see the benefit of this usage as highly specific, political criticisms and observations are misconstrued and transformed into broad and sweeping, social, ethnic, and cultural statements. So now to criticize the actions of elite politicians in Washington is to criticize the American people and their way of life. If you have a problem with the U.S.' policy in the Middle East, you must hate baseball and apple pie. If you don't support war with Iraq, you must not "appreciate your freedom." If you say the U.S. has no right to threaten non-nuclear countries with pre-emptive nuclear war, then you must be jealous of America's greatness. The keepers of the status quo and enshriners of America as the holier-than-thou empire are determined to have all such criticism deflected in this manner. South Korea is an illustrative example that comes to mind. Following an incident that involved the killing of two young South Korean girls by a U.S. military jeep being driven by military personnel stationed in South Korea, the South was accused of "anti-Americanism" for expressing displeasure with the U.S.' handling of the incident. Many a candle light vigil and protest have been held since in the name of the two girls and the misrepresentation of the affair continues. Radios can be heard blurting out "Massive anti-American demonstrations in South Korea today." Newsprint headlines shout the same. Such news, of an extreme sound byte nature, can be used to sensationalize the most mundane event. The use of headlines in this way adds to the alarmist air pervading much of corporate media today. Whether its Fox News with their never ending scrolling bar on the bottom of the screen displaying that day's terror warning alert system color or sensationalist claims of rampant "anti-Americanism," the media seems intent on frightening the American public as frequently as possible. Security has become the buzzword for a desperately mis- educated American public eager to cling to anything that makes them feel more secure -- including prettified illusions of what's going on in the world perpetuated by their local press. Cannot any criticism of the United States ever be accepted, or even faced, by the accused and those who apologize for them? The sentiment is clear in the American media: The South Korean "protesters" are young, disaffected, and jealous of the U.S.' role in the world. They have no legitimate gripe. No one middle aged or "respected" could ever be criticizing the U.S. for anything of substance. This is one of the U.S.' worst attributes on the global social stage and one of the greatest causes of the impression of Americans as arrogant and condescending: A complete lack of respect for others' opinions and the systematic marginalization, delegitimation, and blackballing of those opinions. Following the attacks of September 11th, crowds gathered to publicly and collectively mourn the dead and listen to fiery speeches about American pride and retribution. Were these events described as "anti- Arab" or "anti-Muslim"? Surely not. Americans, and more vitally the U.S. government, must learn to respect and pay heed to what other nations and cultures attempt to articulate through public demonstration. [Matthew Riemer has written for years about a myriad of topics, such as: philosophy, religion, psychology, culture, and politics. He studied Russian language and culture for five years and traveled in the former Soviet Union in 1990. In the midst of a larger autobiographical/cultural work, Matthew is the Director of Operations at YellowTimes.org. He lives in the United States.] Matthew Riemer encourages your comments: [EMAIL PROTECTED] YellowTimes.org is an international news and opinion publication. YellowTimes.org encourages its material to be reproduced, reprinted, or broadcast provided that any such reproduction identifies the original source, http://www.YellowTimes.org. Internet web links to http://www.YellowTimes.org are appreciated. http://yt.org/article.php?sid=1005 <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! 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